Why do some swans have collars?

We are studying the biology and behaviour of these iconic birds. We’re also concerned about the effects of drought on swan populations. The numbered collars help us to track movements of individual birds and monitor their health. They enable us to identify birds from a distance without the need for capture. The collars are made of a lightweight plastic and are custom-manufactured for swans in the United States. We use black collars for males and white collars for females.

Collars also allow members of the public to help us with our study by reporting sightings of Black Swans around Victoria.

Gallery

Did you know?

An adult male swan is called a cob (from Middle English cobbe (leader of a group). An adult female swan is called a pen, and baby swans are called cygnets (from the Latin word cygnus ("swan") and the Old French suffix -et ("little").

2015-05-11T02:20:03+00:00

An adult male swan is called a cob (from Middle English cobbe (leader of a group). An adult female swan is called a pen, and baby swans are called cygnets (from the Latin word cygnus ("swan") and the Old French suffix -et ("little").

http://www.myswan.org.au/index.php/testimonials/15/

The Black Swan is protected under the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1974. It is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

2015-05-11T02:23:39+00:00

The Black Swan is protected under the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1974. It is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

http://www.myswan.org.au/index.php/testimonials/32/

A colony of Black Swans in Dawlish, Devon has become so well associated with the town that the bird has been the town's emblem for

2015-05-11T02:23:29+00:00

A colony of Black Swans in Dawlish, Devon has become so well associated with the town that the bird has been the town's emblem for

http://www.myswan.org.au/index.php/testimonials/31/

The current global population of black swans is estimated to be up to 500,000 individuals.

2015-05-11T02:23:19+00:00

The current global population of black swans is estimated to be up to 500,000 individuals.

http://www.myswan.org.au/index.php/testimonials/30/

Black swans occur over large parts of Australia, with estimates of their range varying from 1 to 10 million square kilometers.

2015-05-11T02:23:10+00:00

Black swans occur over large parts of Australia, with estimates of their range varying from 1 to 10 million square kilometers.